Sunday, June 29, 2008

Draft Predictions...

Now that the 2008 NBA Draft is in the books, I wanted to go on record about how I think the class of '08 would be remembered. Will it be like 2003, that produced LeBron, Carmelo, Wade, Bosh, etc? Or, could it be like 2000, which produced a single all-star game appearance in the entire 1st round (Kenyon Martin)? I think it will be somewhere in between - Today, I am going to give you projected numbers (pts-rbs-ast) in the following players best season as well as a current NBA player who I think their career will resemble:

#1 - Derrick Rose - 19.1--7.2--3.1 - Will establish himself as a top 10 pg in the NBA by the end of year 1 - Career will resemble Stephon Marbury.

#2 - Michael Beasley - 20.2--8.1--1.2 - Should be able to become a pretty good scorer and decent rebounder, but I wouldn't count on him being an important piece on any team that thinks they are going to win anything - Career will resemble Zach Randolph.

#3 - OJ Mayo - 24.2--6.1--3.9 - Will become a better NBA player than college player due to his ability to slash and finish in the paint as a physical guard. Career will resemble Jerry Stackhouse.

#4 - Russell Westbrook - 9.3--5.4--3.2 - Should stay in the league a while because of his defensive ability but will struggle trying to become a pg. Career will resemble Antonio Daniels.

#5 - Kevin Love - 14.3--6.8--2.2 - Will become a pretty reliable big guy that can knock down jump shots. For some reason, I think he will have health issues. Career will resemble Donyell Marshall

#7 - Eric Gordon - 12.2--4.1--2.0 - Shaky ball handling will prevent Gordon from ever being a starting pg, but good shooting touch will allow him to get into an 8 man rotation for several years. Career will resemble JR Smith.

#8 - Joe Alexander - 7.2--4.6--1.3 - Doesn't this guy have "bust" written all over him? He is indeed a super athlete, but aren't most in the NBA? I think he will have a hard time adjusting to the NBA game. Career will resemble Jared Jeffries.

#10 - Brook Lopez - 5.9--4.0--0.9 - Has good size but lacks the scoring ability to be a quality starting center in the NBA. Career will resemble Jason Collins.

#11 - Jerryd Bayless - 23.8--5.1--3.2 - Super quick guard with a knack for scoring. May take 2-3 years before he comes on the scene (similar to Monta Ellis), but I think he will be a steal at #11. Career will resemble Gilbert Arenas.

#13 - Brandon Rush - 17.2--4.2--4.0 - Will eventually be a very good NBA player. Shooting ability will improve and has the body to take a few shots in the paint. Career will resemble Derek Anderson.

#14 - Anthony Randolph - 5.6--3.2--1.0 - Was very impressive in college, dominating on the glass and even handling the ball extremely well. He is too light, however, to translate that to the NBA anytime soon. Pardon the LSU comparison, but career will resemble Tyrus Thomas.

#19 - JJ Hickson - 14.2--6.2--1.2 - Good, strong post player that is very good with his back to the basket. Should be a good NBA player in 3-4 years. Career will resemble Kenny Thomas.

#21 - Ryan Anderson - 3.3--2.1--0.5 - Ryan was awesome in the Pac-10 last year nearly averaging a double-double. However, he really needed to stay 2 more years to even have a chance to succeed in the NBA. At least he has some money because he went in Round 1. Career will resemble Rodney White.

#29 Donte Greene - Greene too should have stayed as he would have likely been a lottery pick next year. He will be a 3 point threat at 6'9 and after developing a little more, should make a NBA rotation. Career will resemble Travis Outlaw.

There you go, some predictions to look back on in a few years and see the "hits" and "misses." Any predictions from readers? Am I wrong on somebody or is there a player I didn't list you feel strongly about? Post your comments and Go Espagne!!